Game apparatus.



' PATENTED MAY 5, 1903. A. REED.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION PILEDJULY 1, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

Patented May 5, 1903.

ADAM REED, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,196, dated May 5, 1903. Application filed July 1, 1902. Serial Ho. 113,919. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ADAM REED, a citizen-of the United States, residing at St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri,

3 have invented new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in game apparatus, and contemplates the provision of a game apparatus which while very simple and inexpensive is calculated to interest and aiford considerable amusement to both old and young players.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of the box forming part of my improved apparatus as it appears when its cover and doors are secured in their closed positions. Fig. 2 is a perspeotive view illustrating the box with its cover and doors open and balls in its several compartments; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the box, taken in the plane indicated by the broken line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the several-views of the drawings, referring to which which is of wood or other suitable material and is provided in its front Wall with openings a b c, the middle one, I), of which is pref-' erably smaller than the others in about the proportion shown for a purpose presently described. Interiorly the said box is provided with compartments a Z) c, separated by transverse partitions d, and it is also provided with inclined planes a b and 0 which are also separated by the partitions d and extend from the lower ends of the openings a b 0 upwardly toward the front walls 6 of the compartments a -b 0', respectively. The saidinclined planes might extend to the forward walls e of the compartments without involving a departure from the scope of my invention. I prefer, however, to form the said-front walls of strips beveled at their sides adja-' cent to the inclined planes and to have hori-' ;zontal surfaces between the inclined planes and the said strips, as best shown in Fig. 3. The compartments a, b, and c are preferably A is the box of my improved apparatus,

numbered 1, 2, and 3, respectively, as shown, and are provided in their bottoms with pockets f, also numbered, as illustrated.

B is the cover of the box, which is hinged to the back wall thereof and is designed when opened to be retained in the position shown in Fig. 2 by'a chain or cord g, C a fastener pivotally connected to the forward edge of said cover, and D D doors connected in'a hinged manner to the forward corners of the box. The said doors are designed to be placed in approximately the positions shown in Fig. 2 to enable them to guide the balls or marbles, presently described, to the front wall of the box, and in order to prevent them from casually moving from said positions when struck by the balls or marbles they are provided on their lower edges with strips h, of rubber, sandpaper, or other material adapted to frictionally hold them to the table or other surface upon which the box is placed. The doors are also provided on their outer sides adjacent to their free ends with keepers 1', designed to be engaged by the fastener 0 when the cover B is closed and the doors are swung against the front wall of the box. When the cover and the doors are secured in their closed positions, as stated, theyserve to retain the balls or marbles in the box, and hence adapt the apparatus to be conveniently carried in the hand or pocket.

the cover B and doors D open, as shown in Fig.2, and the players stand at a distance of about eight feet from the box. The players play one after the other and each rolls the ten balls in succession toward the box and endeavors to cause them to pass through the openings a b 0 thereof. Each ball that passes through the opening 0, counts one, and if it lands in one of the pockets in compartment a it countsv injaddition the number of said pocket, while each ball that passes through opening 0 counts three, and if it lands in one of the pockets of compartment 0' the number of said pocket in addition. When a ball player and the game continued.

passes through the small opening I), it counts twice the number of said opening or four, and if it lands in one of the pockets of the compartment b it counts in addition the number of saidpocket. It will also be observed that after passing through the opening I) the ball strikes the bell E, and thereby apprises the players of the fact. After one player rolls the ten balls toward the box his or her score is ascertained by the scorer and marked down, when the balls are given to the next When the score of one of the players reaches a predetermined number, said player wins and the game is finished. l

I do not desire to be understood as confining myself to the construction and relative arrangement of the parts of the apparatus as shown and described, as such changes or modificatio'ns may be made in practice as fairly fall within the scope of my claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to seen re by Letters Patent, 1s

1. A game apparatus comprisinga box having separate compartments the front walls of which are adapted to prevent retrograde movement of balls received in the compartments,

and also having inclined planes extending upwardly from its front and toward the com partments, walls hinged to the front corners of the box, and adapted to be closed against the. front thereof, and also adapted to be swung outwardly, and serve to guide balls or marbles to the box, a cover connected to the box, and means for connecting the hinged walls and the cover.

2. A game apparatus comprising a box having a plurality of openings in its front wall, and separate compartments disposed in rear of the front wall, and in alinement with the openings therein, and provided with front walls adapted to prevent retrograde movement of balls received in the compartments, and Walls hinged to the front corners of the box, and having strips of rubber or equivalent material on their lower edges.

3. A game apparatus comprising a box adapted to contain balls or marbles and having a plurality of openings in its front wall, and separate compartmentsdisposed in rear of the front wall and in alinement with the openings therein, walls hinged to the front corners of the box and adapted to be closed against the front wall thereof; said walls having keepers, a cover hinged to the rear wall of the box, and a fastener connected to said cover and adapted to engage the keepers of the hinged walls".

4. A game apparatus comprising a box adapted to contain balls or marbles, and having a plurality of openings in its front wall, separate compartments, the bottoms of which contain pockets, and the front walls of which are adapted to prevent retrograde movement of balls or marbles received in the compartments, and inclined planes extending upwardly from the lower ends of the openings and toward the compartments, walls hinged to the front corners of the box, and adapted to be closed against the front y'all thereof; said walls having keepers on their forward sides, and strips h of rubber or equivalent material on their lower edges, a cover hinged to the rear Wall of the box, and a fastener connected to said cover and adapted to engage the keepers of the hinged walls.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses. v

ADAM REED.

Witnesses:

GEORGE ALLEN WALLING, MINERVA P. WALLING. 

